Teacher/School District Benefits & Responsibilities

Thanks for registering a teacher/student team to attend our summer camp! The information below provides more details about the program, how it will benefit all involved, and the pre-camp information we need to collect from each team meet our grant requirements and tailor the educational programs to better meet the needs of each team. Please note the following deadlines for documents that can be submitted via the WuFoo links below:

The benefits and responsibilities of each party are as follows:

School District Benefits & Responsibilities:

Benefits

Each participating school district will receive an EPA sub-grant of approximately $1,000 to use as seed money for the environmental education/stewardship community project selected by their teacher/student team and carried out in their local community. (Note: If the community project is not to be implemented on school district property, this sub-grant and the associated administrative requirements can be assigned to a local environmental organization, as long as it is a certified nonprofit).

Responsibilities

The designated school district administrator will meet with the teacher or teacher/student team to discuss the types of community projects of interest to the team, and the potential use of school facilities or grounds. The administrator will identify any constraints that might interfere with the long-term success of such a project (e.g., contractual issues with maintenance, custodial or food service workers that may present obstacles to carrying our recycling/food waste minimization projects, or zoning/property restrictions). The intent of this step is to help teams avoid spinning their wheels on developing community projects that may not be practical or sustainable. As noted above, a community project does not have to occur on school property (e.g., a stream cleanup project could be undertaken in partnership with a local nonprofit environmental organization).

Teacher Benefits & Responsibilities:

Benefits

The participating teacher will receive:

Free attendance (room, board, and all activity fees) at the summer camp;

a $1,000 stipend, with $500 to be distributed shortly after the summer camp attendance, and $500 distributed after receipt of the post-camp community project final report; and

Credit for 30.5 PA Act 48 professional development activity hours, to be awarded by the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV upon successful completion of the camp.

Responsibilities

Pre-Camp Phase

Recruit four to six 9th, 10th, and 11th grade high school students to attend the camp;

Work with the student team and school administration to complete and return the Pre-Camp Activities & Information Form by May 20, 2017. This form can be submitted electronically by clicking here:

Submit clearance certificate for working with minors and a completed Transfer of Clearances Certification by or before May 20, 2017; this can be submitted electronically by clicking here (this form also allows a copy of the clearance certificate to be uploaded).

Submit Medical History and Waiver of Liability Forms for yourself and each student on your team; this can be submitted electronically by clicking here.

Summer Camp Phase (June 20 through June 24, 2017)

Attend the summer camp from June 20 through June 24, 2017;

Reside in the SRU Residence Hall and conduct room checks of their students at the end of each day;

Attend all educational activities and field trips with their students;

Coach their team in preparing a poster session describing the team’s plan for executing a post-camp environmental education/stewardship project; and

Attend the poster session on the final day of camp.

Post-Camp Phase (June 25, 2017 – June 25, 2018)

Coach the student team in executing the community project;

Oversee the handling and expenditure of grant funds, and provide the student team with guidance in raising additional funds, if needed, to complete the selected project;

Complete one interim progress report and one final report using the template provided, including a simple survey noting how many students on the team volunteered to participate in additional activities that help raise awareness of environmental issues or help preserve the local environment.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Paul Scanlon, SRU Director of Sustainability, at paul.scanlon@sru.edu or 724-738-4268.